This invention relates to a device provided with a nitride semiconductor (InxAlyGa1xe2x88x92xxe2x88x92yN, 0xe2x89xa6x, 0xe2x89xa6y, x+yxe2x89xa61) including light emitting diode (LED), laser diode (LD), or other electronic devices and power devices. Particularly, the present invention relates to a prevention of a small cracking in nitride semiconductor layers, which occurs in the nitride semiconductor device using a GaN substrate.
Blue LEDs using nitride semiconductors have already been provided for practical use. Recently, it becomes possible to provide a practical blue laser diode made of nitride semiconductor by using a GaN substrate.
The inventors have disclosed a nitride semiconductor laser diode using a GaN substrate in, for example, Japanese Journal of Applied Physics. Vol.37(1998) pp.L309-L312. The GaN substrate can be formed, for example, by the following method: A GaN layer is formed on a sapphire substrate and a protective film made of SiO2 is formed partially on the surface of the GaN film. Then, GaN is grown again on the GaN film and the sapphire substrate is removed. The secondly-formed GaN layer grows mainly in a lateral direction, so that a proceeding of dislocations is prevented. By using this method, a GaN substrate having low dislocation density can be obtained. The nitride semiconductor laser device made with such a low dislocation-density GaN substrate showed continuous-wave oscillation and can be operated continuously for more than ten thousand hours.
The nitride semiconductor laser diode with lifetime of more than ten thousand hours can be applied for practical use. However, in some applications, much longer lifetime is desired. The inventors examined the nitride semiconductor laser device obtained by the above-described method and found that extremely small cracks tend to occur in the nitride semiconductor layers grown on the GaN substrate, particularly in the n-type GaN contact layer which is grown directly on the GaN substrate. The crack is too small to observe by a typical optical microscope, however, it can be observed by a fluorescence microscope. It is a surprising fact that small cracks tend to occur in the GaN layer which is directly grown on the same-composition GaN substrate. It is supposed that the occurrence of small cracks is a specific phenomenon for the GaN substrate which is manufactured by the lateral-growth method. However, it is also supposed that when a thin-film GaN is grown on a thick GaN substrate, small cracks occur for an unknown reason. In any case, it is probable that the small cracks cause an increase of thresholds and a deterioration of lifetime of the laser device. The small cracks may also cause a decrease in reliability for other nitride semiconductor devices, as well as in the laser device.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to reduce extremely small cracks in the nitride semiconductor layers and to extend a lifetime of the nitride semiconductor device using a GaN substrate, thus improving a reliability of the nitride semiconductor device. For this purpose, the nitride semiconductor device of the present invention is characterized in that, among device-forming layers (=nitride semiconductor layers) formed on the GaN substrate, the device-forming layer which is directly grown on the Gan substrate is provided with compressive strain to reduce the small cracks.
The compressive strain may be achieved by forming a device-forming layer having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than that of GaN directly on the GaN substrate. The device-forming layer directly grown on the GaN substrate is preferably AlaGa1xe2x88x92aN, (0 less than axe2x89xa61). Because AlaGa1xe2x88x92aN, (0 less than axe2x89xa61) has a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than that of GaN and can be grown on the GaN substrate as a good crystalline.
The device structure constructed by the device-forming layers preferably comprises an n-type cladding layer containing Al, an active layer containing InGaN and a p-type cladding layer containing Al. Employing this structure together with the cracks-reducing structure, a good-characteristics device is provided.
The device-forming layer directly grown on the GaN substrate, for example AlaGa1xe2x88x92aN layer, may play various kinds of rolls according to the device structure. For instance, the layer may be an buffer layer for preventing small cracks, or an n-contact layer. When the whole GaN substrate is electrically conductive, the layer may be an n-clad layer.
The GaN substrate is preferably manufactured by using the lateral-growth method. By using the laterally grown GaN substrate, not only the occurrence of the small cracks but also a propagation of dislocations is prevented. Thus, a nitride semiconductor device having good characteristics is provided.
The manufacturing method of the nitride semiconductor element of the present invention comprises the steps of:
(a) forming a first nitride semiconductor layer on a auxiliary substrate made of different material from nitride semiconductor, for example sapphire or SiC;
(b) forming a stripe-shaped or island-shaped periodical concave-convex structure on said first nitride semiconductor layer;
(c) forming a single-crystal GaN layer on said first nitride semiconductor layer to make a GaN substrate; and
(d) forming a second nitride semiconductor layer on said GaN substrate, the second nitride semiconductor layer having a coefficient of thermal expansion smaller than that of GaN.
Further, the auxiliary substrate may be removed from the GaN substrate after forming the single-crystal GaN layer.
According to the present invention, a thermal expansion coefficient of the nitride layer contacting on the GaN substrate is preferably smaller than that of GaN so as to provide the compressive strain in the nitride semiconductor layer. The compressive strain prevents formation of small cracks in the nitride semiconductor layers. The reasons why this effect is obtained can be described as follows: For example, when coefficients of thermal expansion of Si, GaN and sapphire are xcex51, xcex52, xcex53, respectively, the relation of xcex51 less than xcex52 less than xcex53 stands up. When GaN is grown on the SiC substrate, cracks are liable to occur in the GaN layer. In this case, the relation of coefficients of thermal expansion is xcex51 less than xcex52 and a tensile strain is laid in the in-plane direction on the GaN layer grown on the SiC substrate. On the other hand, when GaN is grown on the sapphire substrate, cracks are not liable to occur in the GaN layer. In this case, the relation of coefficients of thermal expansion is xcex52 less than xcex53 and a compressive strain is laid in the in-plane direction on the GaN layer grown on the sapphire substrate. In short, the liability of cracks to occur depends on whether the strain laid on the layer is a tensile strain or a compressive strain. When the coefficient of thermal expansion of the layer grown on the substrate is smaller than that of the substrate, a compressive strain is laid on the layer and formation of cracks can be prevented.
When GaN is grown on the GaN substrate, neither tensile strain nor compressive strain must be laid on the grown GaN layer. However, small cracks tend to occur in the grown GaN. It is supposed that, when a nitride semiconductor layer is grown on a GaN substrate, small cracks occurs in the nitride semiconductor layer if the thermal expansion coefficient of the layer is equal or greater than that of GaN, and that the formation of the cracks is suppressed if the thermal expansion coefficient of the layer is smaller than that of GaN and compressive strain is laid on the layer.
In this specification, the term xe2x80x9cGaN substratexe2x80x9d refers to a substrate having a low-dislocation-density single-crystal GaN layer on its surface. The GaN substrate may be composed only of a single-crystal GaN layer, or it may be composed of an auxiliary substrate made of different material from nitride semiconductor such as sapphire or SiC and a low-dislocation-density single-crystal GaN layer formed on the auxiliary substrate.
The GaN substrate may be manufactured by any suitable method, as long as a single-crystal GaN formed by the method has low dislocation density enough for forming electric devices thereon. It is preferable to use a growing method in which a single-crystal GaN layer is formed via a lateral-growth process. The lateral-growth process suppresses a dislocation propagation into the single-crystal GaN layer, and a low-dislocation-density GaN substrate is obtained. The term xe2x80x9cthe lateral-growth processxe2x80x9d includes any process in which a single-crystal GaN layer grows not only in a vertical direction but also in a parallel direction to the substrate surface to suppress a propagation of dislocation in the vertical direction.
For manufacturing the GaN substrate via the lateral-growth, ELOG growth methods as disclosed in USP09/202,141, Japanese patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-312825, Japanese patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-340508, Japanese Patent Application No. H11-37827, Japanese Patent Application No. H11-37826, Japanese Patent Application No. H11-168079, Japanese Patent Application No. H11-218122 and so on may be used, as well as the method as described in the J.J.A.P. wherein GaN is grown laterally using SiO2.
The GaN obtained according to the ELOG growth method as described in each above-mentioned specifications can be a substrate having a low dislocation density and such a substrate is preferable in view of device characteristics such as lifetime. The obtained substrate can be used in the present invention, resulting in much better lifetime property.
Among those methods, the method described in the Japanese Patent Application No. H11-37827 is preferable. A nitride semiconductor layer, such as GaN or AlGaN is grown on a heterogeneous substrate, such as sapphire substrate. A stripe-like or island-like periodical concave-convex structure is formed so that a subsequently grown single-crystal GaN layer grows laterally. Thereafter, a single-crystal GaN is grown to cover the concave-convax structure. By using this method, the single-crystal GaN layer can grow laterally, so that the propagations of dislocations are prevented and a low-dislocation-density GaN substrate is obtained. If a GaN substrate composed only of nitride semiconductor is required, the single-crystal GaN layer is grown thick and, after that, the auxiliary substrate is removed.
Growing a nitride semiconductor layer having a thermal expansion coefficient smaller than that of GaN on a laterally grown single-crystal GaN layer, the occurring of dislocation and small cracks are prevented in the subsequent nitride semiconductor layers. Thus, the reliability of the nitride semiconductor element is improved. The concrete example of the present invention using a laterally grown GaN substrate will be described in the following examples.
In the manufacturing method as described in above-mentioned specifications, the auxiliary substrate is removed after ELOG growth to make a GaN substrate made only of nitride semiconductor. However, the auxiliary substrate may be left after ELOG growth, and, in this case, the substrate is used as a GaN substrate consisting of auxiliary substrate and nitride semiconductor layers.
When the GaN substrate made of only nitride semiconductor is used, an n-electrode can be formed on the back surface, which is opposite to the surface on which the device structure is formed. This minimizes the chip size. Also, when the GaN substrate is made of only nitride semiconductors, a good heat radiation characteristic can be obtained. Further, it becomes easy to form a resonation facet by cleavage. In view of device characteristics, the device structure is preferably formed on the surface opposite to the surface from which the auxiliary substrate is removed.
On the other hand, when the GaN substrate comprising a heterogeneous substrate and nitride semiconductor layers is used, the breakage and chipping of the wafer can be prevented, with the result that good handling properties can be achieved. Moreover, the step of removing the auxiliary substrate can be eliminated and the manufacturing time is shortened. Even when the GaN substrate comprises a heterogeneous substrate, if the substrate is electrically conductive, the n-electrode can be formed on the back surface of the substrate.
Before forming the nitride semiconductor having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion on the GaN substrate, the surface of the GaN substrate may be etched. Because the surface of the GaN substrate may become uneven during the manufacturing process, it is preferable to grow the nitride semiconductor after the surface of the GaN substrate is made smooth by etching. This treatment further suppresses the occurring of the small cracks.